The 25-year-old Lis’s second stint in the Eastern League was
incrementally better than his original tour in ’08. Two seasons ago the
left-handed hitting Illinois
native managed to coax just 27 walks in 437 plate appearances while striking
out in 21.3% of the time. Overall, Lis hit .271/.318/.462 with 50 extra base
hits. This past year, Lis’s on-base percentage jumped to .353 after working 18
additional walks in just 82 more plate appearances. Another factor in the
increased on-base percentage: Lis’s hit-by-pitch totals jump from zero in ’08 to
eight in ’09.

(4.) Yancarlos Ortiz
| SS | AA New Britain

The 24-year-old switch-hitting shortstop from the Dominican saw
his walk rate jump from 6.9% to 9.9% after transferring from High-A Ft Myers to
AA New Britain. That was about the only positive. Ortiz’s OBP in ’09 was a
paltry .307. While he showed a steady improvement in the walks department,
Ortiz was still striking out in north of 20% of his total plate appearances and
holding a .282 batting average on balls in play. So far in his minor league
career, he’s hit .242/.314/.280. A slight improvement in his walk totals is not
enough to propel his career forward.

(3.) Juan Portes | UTL
| AA New Britain

In his first exposure to High-A ball in ‘07, then
21-year-old Portes hit .269/.336/.410 with 31 extra base hits in 552 plate
appearances. The following season, his
zone acumen declined as his walk rate dropped from 8.1% to 5.7% resulting in
his on-base percentage decreasing from .336 to .319. However, in the season’s
final 12 games Portes hit safely in 11 of them, going 17-for-48 and raised his
average from .260 to .270 with the last minute offensive splash. At the time,
Portes noted that he was experiencing some mechanical problems – notably moving
his hands and feet too much. Pushed up into the Eastern League, Portes was used
in a utility capacity (playing right field, left field and third) because of a
lingering hamstring injury at the onset of the season as well as an
overabundance of infielders. The 23-year-old continued to hit, finishing the
year with a .297/.366/.434 batting line. Just as importantly, Portes pushed his
walk rate back up towards 10%.

(2.) Joe Benson | OF
| HA Fort Myers

When you think of the Twins’ abundance of outfielders, Joe
Benson’s name is usually drowned out by the Aaron Hicks and the Ben Reveres of
the system. In July of ’08 a stress fracture in his back (not unlike what
Justin Morneau went through in ’09) sidetracked Benson’s development. This past
year, Benson enjoyed one of the best offensive seasons of his career, hitting
.285/.414/.403 in 80 games. Part of his on-base success is due to a highly
inflated .380 batting average on balls in play, but you cannot ignore his 14.4%
walk rate. If he’s able to remain healthy and continue to improve on that
discipline, Benson gives the Twins another solid right-handed hitting outfield
prospect.

(1.) Allan De San
Miguel | C | HA-AAA

The Australian catching prospect has been languishing in the
Twins system since ’05 yet was only 21-years-old last season. De San Miguel, a
defensive specialist, was placed in the Eastern League to start the season but
hit just .190 in limited duty and was eventually sent back to Beloit in early May. When Jose Morales was
recalled to the Twins, de San Miguel was moved from Ft Myers all the way to Rochester to back up Drew Butera before being sent back
down to Florida.
By July, the Aussie catcher back in New
Britain. The one offensive trait he has mastered is
being able to draw a walk. If he can provide good defense and continue to get
on base at a near 40% clip, he’ll enjoy a decent minor league career.

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About OtB

"Parker Hageman is the Michael Cuddyer of Twins bloggers -- not the flashiest guy out there, but a solid everyday player. Hageman produces spot-on analysis ... relying on in-depth stats and lots of charts. He takes a sober, performance-based view of players, letting others fall for a player's heart or his leadership skills in the clubhouse. Hageman is one of the four pillars holding up the Star Tribune's TwinsCentric blog."